Drying apparatus



Dec. 23, 1952 c. E. 'w. NEWMAN DRYING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 19, 1949 Inventor C/IHRLEJ EON/9RD WILL/f7 Mew/701v a wwx 9 H04,

Attorney Dec. 23, 1952 c. E. 'w. NEWMAN 2,622,344

DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 g fidhi 3- H111 Attorney Dec. 23, 1952 c. w. NEWMAN 2,622,344

DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 23, 1952 c. E. w. NEWMAN 2,622,344

DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor CHRRLES EON/4RD WILL/RM Aim/Wm i i 9 By Al rn jfi Dec. 23, 1952 I c. E. w. NEWMAN 2,522,344

DRYING APPARATUS Filed April 19, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Inventor CHAR/.56 0 w/mo WILL/HM NEWMAN Attorney Patented Dec. 23, 1952 1Iand assignonto SussexLaundryLimited, Lon- -don,'=England,ia1 British company 11 1 49,?jsria1jNg. sash feat Britain April '19 '1948 easts. (cha n- 126') drying apparatus compris ng'a heated drying zone through which receptacles for "cohtalining articles to be -dried afe iiaus'ed to move progressively, and means for rotating 'said rec'e'ptacles while moving 'through said z'one. a

In order that the invention fnay ide -more clearly understood, one DEEtiZ'LuIar' eifiHOdinieHt thereof will now be de'scribed with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: s

Figure 1 represents 'a fragmentary digram matic elevation showing "the two end;pbr tiohs.of an apparatus according to the invention. It will be understood that the intermediate portion may be of any desired length in order'to' obtain the necessary amount of} drying.

Figure 2 is a'sectioh'al view taken along the line IIII of Figure 1. V I t Figure 3 is a planvi'ew 'of a complet'eapparatus. I i

I Figureshows the "distribution bfthe a ir circulating ducts. I 4 a Figure 5-is a detail showing the iinloading position.

Figure 6 is a 'plan view'of 'the unIOading pbsition shown in Figure 5, "and a Figure '7 is a section along the line VII-VII of Figure 5.

In the apparatusillustratedthe articles to be dried are loaded in batches into cages, attached to an endless chain, which carries'the loaded cages through a heated tunnel. The "cages are mounted on the chain'in s'uch a way thatthe'y can be rotated about 'a horitontal axis and' each comprises a structurefiindic'ate'd gefirally a at I which consists of a numberof'superimposedhorizontal ipaths or tunnelsZ. The structure. and the wanes-are covered with .suitable 'hea't insulating mater 1 and each horizontal section of. the tun.- ill se arated by alisolidr'p'artition 3,;s1ight1y above which is a perforated partition 54. thusforminga'cavit'y 3a "through which moisture ladenrair may be ei'ctracte'd. "Heated air is discharged into the tunnels throughlnozzles 5iwhich' are arranged to direct a stream of hot airgo'n 'to .cages'B in which the 7 articles .to, be dried are placed, ;.and which are caused to move progressively; through the tunnels 2. The cages 6 are cylindrical i-in form and are constructedof perforated "metal or woven wire. Each cage is vprojvidedtwith two swing doors I e'xtendingtthe full Width of'fthe caj'ge' which areimaintainednormaHy inlthe' closed position Ibyte'nsion springs 8,'tw'o at iieither end of the cage. 0 The JdbOI-S are. .also "connected toin'after described. 7

The cages are attached by pivot arms It] to a pairof endless chains Ill which are. driven .by a "motor I2 through a variable speedegearindicated generally at Iii by-me'ans of a'spr'ocket or pulley l4. By 'me'ans of idler sprockets or pu11eys l5 the chains-are caused to pass horizontally to and fro through the tunnels 2 while gradually "moving upwards to'the top'of thestr'ucture l. The pivot arms Iii) are provided attheir upper; ends with projections I 6 which besides serving to -."connect the arm to the chain have rotatably mounted thereon rollers or track pulleys I1 which are adapted to run in fixed "channel section guide tracks l8 extending parallel to the chainsralong the l'engthof the horizontal tunnels 2 .so :that

"while the cages are travelling ihorizontallyl they are supportedon these guid ftracks. In moving from one tunnel to another the cages ar .:;sup-

"portedby the chains ll. Z'Ihelower portionsxof the pivot arms arej journ'alled to receive trunnions l9 projecting 'from' the centres of the circula'r ends of the cage and fixedly attached thereto. The lower portions "of the pivot a rnis l'll also carryjhorizontally extending portions '3I the ends of which are adapted to receive transverse rods T32 hai/ing rotatablymounte'd thereon rollers 3T3"wl'iic'h'run on parallel'horizontal tracks 314i and thus assist: in supporting the cages while moving (horizontally and at the same time.:prevent any; swinging of the 'cages; about. thejpoint of support 16, The trunnions 19 icarry friction roller '28 which are engaged by'endless belts 'Zl supported on pulleys 22 and rollers 23 and driven by a main belt driv motor 24. The belts are driven at a speed to effectively rotate the cages by contact with the friction rollers 29 while the cages are moving through the tunnels. The drive motor is provided with suitable reversing equipment so that the direction of movement of the belts is periodically reversed thus causing alternate rotation of the cages in opposite directions so that the articles contained therein are thoroughly agitated while being submitted to the drying operation. Reversing equipment of the aforementioned type is Well known in the art and any suitable reversing equipment, conventional or non-conventional may be employed. For purpose of illustration, a conventional arrangement i shown in which the shaft of motor 24 is connected to a shaft 24a by a crossed belt as Well as by a direct belt. Shaft 24a carries a fast pulley and two loose pulleys, one on either side of the fast pulley. Belt shifting forks for moving either belt onto the fast pulley are operated through a suitable linkage by a pin projecting from the face of pulley 22a. which is one of the pulleys 22 for driving friction belts. Pulley 22a makes approximately one complete revolution in one direction and then operates the linkage to shift the belts on shaft 24a, thereby reversing the direction of movement of the friction belts 2|. Pulley 22a then makes approximately one complete revolution in the reverse direction and the cycle is repeated.

An unloading and a loading position are provided at suitable points along the path of travel of the cages and are indicated generally at 25 and 26 respectively (Figure 1). The loading position is situated at the lower part of the structure and the unloading position in the upper part so that the articles to be dried are carried in the cages gradually upwards through the drying tunnels to the upper part of the structure where they are unloaded and the empty cages are then carried vertically downwards to the loading position for recharging.

The unloading position is shown in detail in Figures 5', 6 and '1 and comprises a door location track 21 which is adapted to cooperate with an eccentric pin 28a projecting from the outer face of each of the friction rollers'Zfl. The forward edge of the track 21 is formed with inclined surface 29, which is of length sufficient to ensure its engagement with the pin 28a of a, cage approaching the unloading position, whatever the rotational position of the cage may happen to be. Continued advance of the cage causes pin 28a to ride down surface 29 and enter'the downwardly curved end 30a of a horizontal slot 30 formed in the track 21. The cage is thereby rotated about its horizontal axis until it reaches a position in which the doors are lowermost. Thereafter the engagement of the pin 28a in the horizontal portion of the slot 30 maintains the cage in the desired position while it passes through the unloading position as determined by the length of the track 21. Attached to one of the tracks 34 is a door operating track 35 positioned below track 21. Track 35 engages a roller 36 attached to one member of the linkage 9 and causes the doors to open against the action of springs 8. The track 35 is of sufiicient length to maintain the doors open while the cage passes through the unloading position. The loading position 26 is similar to the unloading position, as just described, with the exception that the operating track, designated by 35a, is now posi- 4 tioned above the location track 21, and that the pin of each cage, designated by 2812, is positioned at the opposite end of the respective cage and also on the opposite side of the axis of the cage relative to the respective pin 28a, as can best be seen on Fig. 6. Consequently, the cages, when approaching the loading position will be turned so that their doors open upwardly.

The method of supplying heated air to the drying tunnels and extracting the moisture laden air therefrom Will be apparent from Figures 3 and 4. For the purposes of air supply, the apparatus is divided into eight zones, each zon having a steam operated heater 35a having automatic temperature control governed by thermostats inserted in the duct lines 31 immediately following the heaters. Before reaching the heaters 36a the incoming air supply is drawn through filters 38 of the viscous oil type by means of the main supply fan 39 driven by a motor 40. The filters 38 are arranged for easy access to facilitate cleaning and replacement and their function is to remove all dirt from the air before passing t0 the drying tunnels. Such filters are especially necessary during foggy weather. On the outlet side of fan 39 the air passes to a preheater unit 4| where it is preheated to approximately F. Preheating of the air in this manner before passing to the zone heaters 360. ensures a closer control of the temperature of the air supplied to the ducts 31. From the preheater 41, the air passes to the individual heater units 36a and by means of ducts 31 is supplied to nozles 5 which are positioned so that it will circulate throughout the contents thereof.

The moisture laden air resulting from the drying action of the heatedair on the contents of the cages is withdrawn through the cavities 4a formed between the horizontal sections of the tunnel by means of ducts 42 which lead from said cavities to a main extractor fan 43 driven by motor 44 from which the air may be exhausted to the atmosphere through vent 45 or returned to circulation through the filters 38 or, depending on the humidity of the extracted air, a part may be allowed to pass to the filters where it is mixed with fresh air admitted through the main air inlet 56 while the remainder is discharged to the atmosphere.

The proportion'of extracted air which may be recirculated, and the necessary amount of fresh air to be admitted to the system is determined by dampers placed in the main exhaust vent 45 and at the entrance to the filters 38. 'These dampers are actuated by a-motor 41 controlled by a hygrometer 58 placed in'the'main extractor duct and the dampers are connected'to'the motor by a linkage 49 whereby the proportion of extracted air recirculated and the amount of fresh air admitted to the system is varied according to the relative humidity of the extracted air.

The fresh air and extracted air-dampers are arranged in battery form, each cell containing stream lined blades, supported at each end in ball journals and connected to the linkage '49. The dampers are so connected that When the fresh air dampers are open, the extracted air. dampers are closed but by suitable adjustment of the linkage 49 the ratio of fresh air to extracted air may be varied as desired upon operation of the control motor 41.

It will be understood that the invention is' not limited to the specific. embodiment described and that modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention."

What is claimed is:

1. A drying apparatus for drying articles of laundry comprising a plurality of horizontally disposed heat insulated drying tunnels arranged in superimposed relation and communicating together at their adjacent ends to constitute a meander-shaped drying zone, an endless chain extending through all of said tunnels in succession and extending also outside said tunnels, drive means for continuously driving said chain, a plurality of horizontally disposed cylindrical cages each having an opening in its cylindrical wall for unloading and loading laundry attached to said chain for movement therewith and each mounted for rotation about its axis, a plurality of stationary tracks, one extending through each of said tunnels for supporting said cages when and while moving horizontally therethrough, doors biased to normally close said openings in the cages, first positioning means situated adjacent to said chain at a point outside said tunnels for positioning said cages with their doors lowermost, first door control means for opening said doors when the cages are positioned with their doors lowermost, second positioning means situated adjacent to said chain at another point outside said tunnels for repositioning said cages with their doors uppermost, second door control means for again opening said doors when the cages are positioned with their doors uppermost, friction rollers secured to said cages so as to cause rotation of the cages in response to a rotation of the rollers, a plurality of endless belts each extending through one of said tunnels adjacent the track therein and frictionally engaging the friction rollers of the cages supported on that track thereby rotating the said rollers, and driving means for said belts.

2. A drying apparatus for drying articles comprising a casing, means for supplying heated air to the casing, an endless conveyor extending through said casing, a plurality of receptacles for the articles to be dried rotatably mounted on said conveyor, drive means operatively coupled with said conveyor for maintaining the same in continuous movement through said casing, an endless belt mounted adjacent said conveyor, rollers on said receptacles disposed in frictional engagement with said belt, said rollers being arranged to rotate the cages in response to a rotation of the rollers by frictional engagement thereof with the belt, driving means for said belt, and reversal means for periodically reversing the direction of movement of said belt.

3. A drying apparatus for drying articles comprising a casing, means for supplying a drying atmosphere to said casing, an endless conveyor extending along a fixed path through said casing, driving means for said conveyor, a plurality of cages for the articles to be dried rotatably supported on said conveyor and each having a loading and discharge aperture, a door provided on each cage for closing the respective aperture, biasing means normally holding said doors closed, rotating means for rotating said cages during the greater part of their travel along said path, first positioning means disposed adjacent to one point on said path for positioning each of said cages in turn with its aperture uppermost, first door control means for opening said doors against said biasing means while each cage is positioned with its aperture uppermost, second door positioning means adjacent to another point on said path for positioning each of said cages in turn with its aperture lowermost, and second door control means for opening said doors while each cage is positioned with its aperture lowermost.

4. A drying apparatus for drying articles com prising a casing including a heated drying zone, a pair of horizontal stationary tracks disposed side by side within said drying zone, a second pair of horizontal stationary tracks disposed side by side above said first pair, a plurality of pairs of carrier members, a plurality of rollers each running on one of said upper tracks and a plurality of pairs of spaced rollers running upon one of said lower tracks, each of said upper rollers and each pair of said lower rollers supporting a pair of said carrier members, a cage rotatably supported between each pair of carrier members, a pair of endless chains each connecting together the carrier members to one side of said cages, drive means for continuously driving said chains to advance the carrier members and cages along said tracks, and rotating means for rotating said cages.

5. A drying apparatus for drying articles comprising a plurality of horizontally extending drying tunnels disposed in superimposed relation and communicating together at their adjacent ends to constitute a meander-shaped drying zone, a plurality of horizontally disposed stationary tracks, one extending through each of said tunnels, a plurality of cages for the articles to be dried supported on said tracks and each mounted for movement along the tracks and for rotation about its axis, an endless carrier passing through the whole length of said drying zone adjacent to each of said tracks in turn and secured to each of said cages for advancing the cages along the tracks and supporting them during their passage from one track to another, friction rollers secured to each of said cages for rotating the cages in response to a rotation of the rollers, a plurality of endless belts, one extending through each one of said tunnels adjacent to the track therein and engaging the friction rollers of the cages supported upon the respective track thereby rotating the rollers, driving means for said conveyor and said belts, and reversal means for periodically reversing the direction of movement of said belts.

CHARLES EDWARD WILLIAM NEWMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 818,916 Rodgers Apr. 24, 1906 1,155,468 Collins Oct. 5, 1915 1,307,270 Richards 1- June 17, 1919 1,431,146 Bolling Oct. 10, 1922 1,498,774 Baldwin June 24, 1924 1,601,966 Harris Oct. 5, 1926 1,831,978 Summers Nov. 17, 1931 2,152,312 Jennings et a1. Mar. 28, 1939 2,188,684 Hagopian Jan. 30, 1940 2,350,672 Byron et a1. June 6, 1944 

